ABC to Present Exclusive Jailhouse Interview with Scott Falater During “20/20: While He Was Sleeping”

This week ABC’s 20/20 will take audiences beyond the jailhouse fence and will feature co-anchor Amy Robach interviewing Scott Falater who’s currently serving a lifetime sentence for the 1997 murder of his wife.  

What’s Happening:

  • The next edition of ABC’s 20/20, While He Was Sleeping. will see co-anchor Amy Robach in an exclusive jailhouse interview with Scott Falater who killed his wife while he was allegedly sleepwalking.
  • Robach’s conversation with Falater marks his first interview since his conviction 22 years ago.
  • In the emotional interview Falater opens up about the killing, his children and his life in prison.
  • 20/20 features exclusive footage from the prison visit between Falater and his son, Michael, who was just 12 years old at the time of the murder.
  • The two-hour program also features the first interviews with:
    • Joel Tranter
    • Steven Stanowicz
    • Kemp Layden
    • Members of the Phoenix Police Department
    • Renowned sleep experts who testified that they believed Falater was sleepwalking
    • Some case Jurors  
  • 20/20 airs on Friday, January 29 (9:00 – 11:00 pm ET) on ABC.

Synopsis:

  • When Scott Falater’s neighbor witnessed him drag his wife into their backyard pool and hold her head underwater after he stabbed her, it may have seemed to be an open-and-shut case. That was until Falater acted utterly stunned at the accusations and maintained he had no recollection of killing his wife. With no criminal record and a seemingly good marriage, Falater’s actions also puzzled his family and friends. But when Falater claimed to have a sleepwalking disorder, it raised the stunning question: was he asleep during the murder? The intriguing case quickly made headlines as the media covered the trial gavel-to-gavel.

Creative Team:

  • David Sloan is senior executive producer and Janice Johnston is executive producer.
  • Matt Lombardi is senior producer.
  • Andrew Paparella and Scott Engel are producers of this episode.